Apparatus for processing solid wastes to produce a fuel

Abstract

An apparatus for processing of residential or industrial solid wastes, including first grinding means, magnetic separation means, first screening means, whose screenings are directed to second grinding means, drying means comprising a hot air generator, gravity separation means, cyclone separation means, second screening means, and press granulating means. The apparatus is used for production of solid fuels in granules, whose net calorific value can be modified by causing the mesh size of the first and second screening means to vary.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. Apparatus for obtaining a solid fuel from residential, industrial or similar types of wastes, comprising in combination, and successively from upstream to downstream: (a) first grinding means to reduce the particle size of the initial wastes;   (b) magnetic separation means to eliminate ferrous metals;   (c) first screening means to separate smaller-sized fermentable organic materials from the rest of the wastes, or combustible fraction, able to be transformed into fuel;   (d) second grinding means designed to reduce the particle size of the fuel fraction still further;   (e) pneumatic drying means designed to reduce the water content of the fuel fraction and outputting a gas stream charged with said fuel fraction;   (f) gravity separation means designed to separate from the gas stream the heavy products contained in the fuel fraction;   (g) cyclone separation means designed to separate from the gas stream the fuel fraction freed of said heavy products;   (h) second screening means designed to eliminate the inorganic fines having a high ash content; and   (i) press granulating means designed to transform the fuel fraction coming from the second screening means into fuel granules;   the mesh sizes of the first and second screening means being adjustable.   
     
     
       2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pneumatic drying means receive at an input not drying gases supplied by a generator fed by a part of the fuel available downstream from the drying means. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the gravity separation means comprise an isolation trap provided in the lower wall of an output duct of a pneumatic drying means. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of claim 2 including air cooling means at the output of the granulating means. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the temperature of the hot gases supplied by generator is between 500° and 600° C. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the gravity separation means comprise an isolation trap provided in the lower wall of an output duct of a pneumatic drying means. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of claim 5 including air cooling means at the output of the granulating means. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gravity separation means comprise an isolation trap provided in the lower wall of an output duct of a pneumatic drying means. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of claim 8 including air cooling means at the output of the granulating means. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of claim 1, further including air cooling means at the output of the granulating means. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the hot air available at the output of the cooling means is recycled to the drying means. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the cyclone separation means comprise a dust removal unit.